Dubai: Ahmad Khalil’s heroics saw Al Ahli qualify for the last 16 of the Asian Champions League with a dramatic 3-2 win at home to Iran’s Tractor Sazi on Tuesday.
Al Ahli twice came from behind through Everton Ribeiro and Khalil, after Mehrdad Bayrami and Saman Narimanjahan put the visitors ahead, before Khalil nicked an all-important winner before the end.
The Red Knights needed to beat the Iranians in their final group game and hope that Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi lost or drew at home to already-qualified Al Ahli Jeddah of Saudi Arabia.
In the end Nasaf Qarshi were held to a goalless draw by Al Ahli Jeddah, which was enough to see Al Ahli Dubai follow the Saudis through in second.
Tractor Sazi went ahead on 20 minutes when Amirkamdar Ahmad ran past three men into the box only to see his shot blocked by Abdul Aziz Al Sanqoor. The deflection fell to Bayrami whose follow-up came off Abdul Aziz Al Haikal as it crossed the line.
Mohammad Iranpourian then headed Ribeiro’s curler around the post on the half hour, and Hani Hashemi nodded Kwon Kyung Won’s effort off the line before the interval, as Al Ahli went in search of an equaliser.
That equaliser finally came before the hour when Habib Fardan received a long ball into the box, rounded his marker, and crossed to Ribeiro in the middle for a tap in. Kwon then hit the crossbar from a long shot soon after as the home side looked rejuvenated.
Tractor put a stop to that on 67 minutes however when Saman Narimanjahan buried Bayrami’s cross to make it 2-1. But Al Ahli levelled again ten minutes later when Khalil nodded in Ribeiro’s cross.
Khalil headed another onto the crossbar from Al Sanqoor’s cross soon after and also wasted a one-on-one opportunity before finally converting an identical last-gasp cross and header from Al Sanqoor before the end.
